Defensive end Anthony Chickillo was practicing in a yellow jersey for limited contact. He said he had a stomach flu. Coach Al Golden said he heard something about a sinus infection. Bottom line: he isn't feeling well, but was out there with the team in spite of it.

Also in injury news, Golden said backup middle linebacker Raphael Kirby's injury will not require surgery, but will take him out of the action for a while. He's confident Kirby will be on the fast end of the doctor's expected return date scale.

Starting middle linebacker Denzel Perryman on Kirby's injury: "I just told him to hold his head up. We'll hold it down for him until he gets back."

Perryman said there's a certain level of frustration with all the injuries the unit has suffered in camp.

The 'Canes had a special teams scrimmage in the Tuesday afternoon practice. He said freshmen Malcolm Lewis and Duke Johnson had kick return touchdowns. Punter Dalton Botts also looked strong, Golden said.

Not many college kids have first names like Thurston Armbrister. The Miami linebacker told the story behind the name this morning. Yes, he's named after Thurston Howell III of Gilligan's Island.

Armbrister also said the plays with a chip on his shoulder since he was so lightly recruited coming out of high school. Read more later about his speedy rise up the linebacker depth chart after transitioning from the defensive backfield.

Defensive tackle Olsen Pierre responded to Golden's call for better play in the defensive interior. "We just have to come out and work harder. Every day we have to come out as one line, one unit because we're going to be tired sometimes. But I think we're starting to get it."

There were only a few black shirts out there again on defense today. "I hope the jersey isn't the ultimate motivation," Golden said. "For us it signifies, if you have a black jersey, that we think you can go in and play at a championship level on a first-team defense. Certainly it signifies something, but if they're only motivated by the jersey, we have the wrong guys in the locker room."